The Beatgirls

Lore & Background

The Beatgirls originated from the personal relationship between Andrea Sanders and Billy Watkins, who were born near Wellington in Plimmerton and Paekākāriki respectively. After performing as a dancer and singer in Australia, Sanders returned to Wellington and joined Watkins' band Billy and the Blue Flames. In 1994 they set up a band called the Lounge Lizards to play bossa nova but soon found their way to the more lucrative Beatgirls format. The concept of the vocal trio was hatched in a show written by Sanders called 'Blame it on the Bossa Nova' which debuted at Downstage Theatre in Wellington. The name 'The BeatGirls' was inspired by a 1960s cult movie called 'BeatGirl' and the idea for the group to only play music by The Beatles, though after a year the repertoire expanded to include 1960s girl group, 1940s swing, glam rock, disco, 1980s up to current day.

Reader's Guide

The Beatgirls have become a staple of New Zealand entertainment, performing at venues from local pubs and retirement homes to urban theaters and festivals. They have appeared at Wellington's Circa Theatre since their inception, including the entire month of October in 2010. Corporate-sponsored shows are their main breadwinner, but they are also popular draw cards for national events such as the Golden Shears. They have toured internationally around Europe, Asia, the United States, and many Pacific islands, representing New Zealand at major events including parties sponsored by Sports Illustrated at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Their appeal lies in their energy, timing, humor, and crowd interaction, pegging their music selection to the audience's age to evoke nostalgia. While sometimes called a parody trio, Sanders objects, saying 'We don't take the mickey out of the songs - it's just we don't take ourselves too seriously.' The group has been profiled on numerous television series and has appeared on shows such as Good Morning and Dancing with the Stars.

Did You Know?

• Andrea Sanders appeared as a dancer in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (1994), but contrary to some claims, she did not play a character named Diello or have a love scene with Kate Winslet.
• The Beatgirls have performed for free at retirement homes.
• In 2006 the Beatgirls were nominated for several regional and national entertainment awards, though not in competition with Weta Workshop, which is a special effects company.

Origins & Formation

The Beatgirls trace their roots to a personal connection between Andrea Sanders and Billy Watkins, two Wellington-area natives from Plimmerton and Paekākāriki. After Sanders spent time performing as a dancer and vocalist in Australia, she returned to Wellington and joined Watkins' Cab Calloway–style band, Billy and the Blue Flames. In 1994 the pair launched a bossa nova outfit called the Lounge Lizards, but the format quickly gave way to something more commercially viable. The vocal-trio concept crystallized in a show Sanders wrote, 'Blame it on the Bossa Nova,' which premiered at Downstage Theatre in Wellington and was produced by her long-time dance partner Sally Stopforth. The name itself drew inspiration from a 1960s cult film called 'BeatGirl' (with music by Adam Faith) and an initial intention to play only Beatles material. Within a year, however, the repertoire broadened to encompass 1940s swing, 1960s girl-group material, glam rock, disco, and 1980s pop. Sanders serves as owner, musical director, manager, choreographer, and lead singer; Watkins played in the original backing band but stepped away from performing with the group after 2006.

Style & Performance Philosophy

The Beatgirls position themselves as unapologetic entertainers rather than purists, a stance Sanders calls 'heavy weight light entertainment.' Their shows blend covers spanning multiple decades with choreographed dance, glamorous costumes, and winking, slightly risqué banter between numbers. They calibrate their song selection to the audience's age, typically reaching back to the music of the crowd's teenage years to trigger nostalgia. Sanders pushes back against the label 'parody trio,' insisting they never mock the songs but simply refuse to take themselves too seriously. The group's appeal, much like the Topp Twins, rests on energy, comedic timing, and direct crowd interaction. They began with post-war era material and expanded into 1940s swing, particularly Andrews Sisters numbers, which made them a hit at Anzac ceremonies and retirement homes—venues where they have frequently performed without charge. For festivals and larger events, the trio is backed by a six-piece band specializing in soul and Motown, a significant upgrade from the backing tracks they relied on for years.

Cultural Significance in New Zealand

Within New Zealand, The Beatgirls occupy a cultural niche comparable to that of the Topp Twins—widely recognized across social strata despite their setlists drawing heavily from American and British pop. Corporate-sponsored employee shows form the backbone of their domestic income, yet they are equally at home at the Golden Shears, local pubs, community halls, charity functions, and retirement homes. Sanders captures the range: from highbrow corporate galas to weddings in a small marquee, from the Martinborough Wine and Food Festival drawing ten thousand attendees to the Eketāhuna firemen's ball where everyone danced in their socks. They have been a fixture at Wellington's Circa Theatre since the group's inception, including a full month-long run in October 2010. New Zealand television audiences know them from Good Morning, Dancing with the Stars, and documentary-style programs such as Dream Jobs, Wanda's Way, Big Night In, Sunday, and Radio New Zealand's Upbeat. The Wellington local newspaper has described them as 'as Wellington as the bucket fountain,' and in 2006 they competed against Weta Workshop for regional and national awards.

International Reach & Representation

Although rooted in Wellington, The Beatgirls have toured Europe, Asia, the United States, and numerous Pacific islands, serving as informal cultural ambassadors for New Zealand. They performed at Sports Illustrated–sponsored parties during the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Games, an assignment that prompted Wellington cartoonist Grant Buist to joke in his Jitterati strip about the relief of sending a cabaret act abroad rather than a contemporary art piece. A Greek performance caught the eye of Katie Couric, who booked the trio for an appearance on The Today Show. They also participated in a live broadcast of the TV2 International LAUGH! comedy festival in 2002. During an extended Sydney stint around the turn of the century, Sanders and Watkins assembled a second-tier BeatGirls trio managed remotely from New Zealand, featuring performers such as Jackeline Laso, Nathalie Cotte, and Ainslie Allen. Back home, Peter Jackson—whose 1994 film Heavenly Creatures featured Sanders in a love scene opposite Kate Winslet—has since hired the group to liven up his parties, underscoring how deeply they are woven into Wellington's creative fabric.